Rolling Resistance Equal on Summer Winter Tyres Conti

With winter just around the corner many drivers are now thinking of changing over to winter tyres. Accepted belief amongst motorists states that winter tyres have a higher rolling-resistance than summer tyres. However, according to German tyre giants Continental, this is not the case. They say that, courtesy of the materials utilized in modern winter tyres and their tread design and low weight, winter tyres are just as economical as their summer counterparts. Conti urges motorists to make the change to winter tyres as they give vastly superior braking capacity in cold conditions.

The company has been focusing on lowering rolling-resistance in its winter tyres since the introduction of the ContiEcoContact range, 15 years ago. Dr Burkhard Wies, vice-president of Tyre Line Development Worldwide, explained, “As a result of our continued development work, there is no longer any difference between summer and winter tyres in terms of rolling resistance. In some of our models, the rolling resistance coefficient of around 1.0 cr in winter tyres is even slightly lower than in their summer counterparts.”